


For Love is as Strong as Death

by Anath_Tsurugi



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Anal Sex, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, battle aftermath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:02:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24065518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anath_Tsurugi/pseuds/Anath_Tsurugi
Summary: Zeb and Kallus cling together in the aftermath of the Liberation of Lothal.
Relationships: Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios
Comments: 11
Kudos: 146
Collections: Kalluzeb appreciation week 2020.





	For Love is as Strong as Death

**Author's Note:**

> So sorry to fall behind on these. It's been a busy couple a' days. Anyway, hope you enjoy my Day 4 contribution. First time – hurt/comfort.

In truth, Zeb hadn't had much opportunity to think about the fact that he and Kallus were together again in the scant amount of time the ex-Imperial had been on Lothal. In fairness to them both, a lot had been happening. But there was not a lot happening now as the human moved away to get into disguise for his part in the upcoming infiltration. Zeb had time to think, time to watch him go...and time to remember how he had cried, not just for Kanan in the days following his friend's death, but for Hera, as well.

"You thinking about him?' he suddenly heard the Twi'lek's voice asking as she came up beside him, hand reaching up to rest on his shoulder.

"Yeah," he admitted, simply not up to the task of lying about it.

"Then you should tell _him_ that."

"I- what?" he asked, finally managing to tear his gaze away from the former Imperial and down to his friend. The pilot was offering him an infinitely sad smile.

"You _love_ him. Don't you," she said, her fingers digging into his fur just a little. It was a statement of fact, not a question.

"Yeah," he answered with another helpless glance. Alex wasn't in view anymore, but he knew where he'd gone. He shouldn't. There were so many reasons why he _shouldn't_ feel this way about Alexsandr Kallus...but he did. Even _they_ weren't properly certain where they stood with each other. Sure, they'd kissed, cuddled, held each other close on a few sleepless nights, but...this was bigger than that.

"Then _tell_ _ **him**_ _that,_ " Hera insisted, the fire in her eyes no less crackling for the tenderness in her voice. "I didn't tell Kanan enough. I should've told him every day. I don't want to watch you make my mistakes, Zeb."

Zeb's gaze flicked between her and the direction Alex had disappeared in several more times before he finally nodded. "I...right. I'll be right back," he said, not waiting for a response before taking off after Kal.

It didn't take him long to catch up with the human, but anything he might've been _planning_ to say instantly slid from his mind when he came upon him only half dressed behind a scattering of boulders. He'd only gotten so far as to strip from his own clothes and to belt the black pants of the Imperial uniform in place. The hard muscles of his chest and shoulders were quite nicely on display and it was a bit more of a challenge than Zeb would've readily admitted to look away from the scarred, perfect human flesh.

"Oh- sorry," he muttered, gaze sliding only marginally off to the side, leaving him just enough visual at the corner of his eyes to see the light flush that tinged the ex-Imperial's freckled skin a pale pink color.

"No harm done, Garazeb. Did...did you need something?"

"It...I just...we might not come back from this one and I- I wanted you to know..."

"Oh...Zeb," the human started uncertainly, moving a little closer to him.

Before the former guardsman could embarrass himself further with his babbling, he pulled Kallus to him, drawing him into a hard kiss. He heard and felt the man whimper softly against his mouth as they clung together like that for a long moment.

"I love you," he whispered against the smaller man's lips when they finally needed to separate for breath. "I love you so much. It doesn't matter how you feel about me, I just- I didn't wanna die with you not knowin' that," he told him, feeling a few tears escape his eyes as he cupped the human's face between his hands, their foreheads still pressed together.

"Zeb...dearest Zeb," the ex-Imperial returned in a similarly tremulous whisper. "I can think of a _thousand_ reasons why you shouldn't waste your love on _me_ , but I hope that doesn't mean you plan on dying now you've told me," he said, his amber eyes bright with something like tears when he pulled back a little to look up at him.

"Nah," Zeb said easily, dipping back in to drop a tiny kiss at the corner of his mouth. "I never _plan_ on dyin'. But you never can tell."

"No...I don't suppose you can," Alex conceded, his smile sad as he looked up at Zeb. "Do you know, I- I didn't expect to be back in an Imperial uniform again so soon. This is _not_ clothing I would want to die in."

Zeb managed a small laugh at this, his grip on Alex taking on a touch more _heat_ when he spoke. "Well, come through this alive and I'll peel it off ya myself once this is all over."

"Zeb..." he started, the flush returning to his cheeks in the absence of further words.

"S'right," Zeb returned with a little smirk, hand dropping to trail scintillatingly along his lover's bare side. "Just get through this alive and I will blow your kriffin' _mind._ "

"Karabast, are you two idiots done back there?" Ezra's teasing voice suddenly called back to them. Not even half a second later, the young Jedi found himself having to dodge a flying Imperial helmet.

XxX

Zeb and Kallus made it through, but the boy who had so lately taunted them did not. Or at least they couldn't say with any certainty what had actually happened to him. They had won their tiny pittance from the Empire...but at what cost?

Zeb felt nothing but exhaustion as Kallus led him through the streets of Capital City.

"Mm, where're we goin'?" the Lasat found himself asking as they moved.

"We're getting _you_ to a bed," Kallus answered firmly as they moved. "Hera told me of a place where a proper one might be found."

"What happened to- peelin' you outta that monkey-lizard suit?" he couldn't quite help teasing.

"I won't have that sort of talk right now, Captain Orrelios," his lover scolded him mildly. "Not until you've had some proper rest. You're in shock and you're exhausted."

Well, Zeb couldn't really disagree with him on any particular point, so he allowed himself to simply be led. He didn't pay all that much mind to where, but when he found himself being pulled into a bedroom, he stopped short.

"Zeb?" Kallus questioned, glancing back at him.

"Just a sec," he muttered, divesting himself of his bo-rifle. Deploying it in staff mode, he jabbed one of the ends into the partly-demolished duracrete just outside the door.

"Zeb, I...what are you-"

"Come on, you too. Blasters out. There's no Imperials in this city now. You can lay your weapons down," he coaxed.

"But... _why?_ "

"Place of a union. Place of peace," he explained. "It's- well...it's an old Honor Guard thing."

Once again, that pink flush returned to the ex-Imperial's cheeks, but he slipped back out past Zeb and laid his two blasters with the bo-rifle. He closed the door behind him when he slipped back inside, kicking his boots off with some struggle as he led Zeb to the bed.

"Never did envy you humans, havin' to wear _shoes_ ," Zeb muttered in mild derision as he flopped down on the bed. It had been a long time since he'd seen a real one.

"A necessary evil, I'm afraid," the ex-Imperial conceded as he crawled in with Zeb, allowing the Lasat to pillow his head against his chest. "You know, I haven't slept in uniform since the Empire either. But I suppose you'll want the privilege of removing _that_ yourself," he said, still plainly flustered.

"Too right," Zeb said with a yawn, feeling the heat in Alex's skin when he lifted his head back up to press a kiss to the underside of his chin. "You- still gonna be here when I wake up?"

"I will never leave your side," Alex promised, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as he drifted off, and Zeb found that to be true however many hours later when he woke in the human's arms.

The room had since grown dark, disrupted every now and then by the noise and colorful burst of fireworks from outside. They must've really been tired if they'd slept through _that_. And when he looked up at Alex, he was pleased to see he was already awake, smiling easily down at him.

"I would say 'good morning', but it's literally the middle of the night."

"You sleep any?" he asked, reaching up a hand to tousle his not nearly mussed enough blond hair.

"Enough. Mostly I've kept watch and...watched _you_ sleep," he admitted, his smile growing almost helpless as he leaned down to kiss Zeb's forehead. Before long, Zeb was shifting his head up to capture his lover in a proper kiss. But this time when they separated, Alex was whispering against his lips. "I...I can't seem to stop thinking about it."

"Thinkin' about what?"

"About you...down in those power coils. Not knowing...if you- if I-"

"Hey, it's okay," Zeb soothed him, drawing him in for another kiss. After several minutes of this gentle, easy kissing, he continued with, "We're still here. We made it through...even when so many others didn't...though-"

"You feel guilty," the human supplied when he couldn't seem to, running his fingers through the fur at Zeb's shoulders, "for knowing such happiness...for feeling such joy when _so much_ has been lost."

"Yeah," Zeb said, feeling his smile dim a little as he looked up at his lover. But when a brief burst of purple and gold light lit his sharply defined face in the darkness, the former guardsman felt a little of that joy and relief and _love_ return. Somehow, in spite of everything, they had won this, and he was going to treasure every moment of it.

Shifting to his knees above the ex-Imperial, he bracketed Alex's legs between his own as he drew him up into another kiss. He shivered pleasantly as the human moaned beneath him. He wasn't fully certain when his hands dropped to Alex's belt, but he awakened to the reality of it when he heard the buckle snap open in his hands.

"H- how d'you wanna do this?" he asked as the smaller male awkwardly snapped the vambraces off his wrists. "You- only get the one, yeah? You more of a top or...?"

"You are correct in that. I do only get the one orgasm," Alex told him, fingers moving up to trace the catches of his chest armor. "But you, I believe, will have at least three. Is that right?"

"Did your homework, then," Zeb returned with an easy smirk, hands trailing up his lover's sides, moving to unbutton the stiff uniform jacket. "Been entertainin' a few _fantasies_ there, Fulcrum?"

"Perhaps a few," the former agent admitted as the armor fell away in his hands. Zeb felt him begin to tremble when a _growl_ started low in his own throat. " _More_ than a few."

"Know how it works then?" he asked, not bothering to be delicate with the Imperial fabric. He tore the thing open with a pleased snarl, drawing a harsh gasp from Alex's lips.

"Academically," the ex-Imperial returned in a somewhat higher than normal tone. "But there's a great deal of difference between an image and reality," he said, hands dropping down to Zeb's belt.

"You wanna see that reality?" Zeb asked in a breathy voice, taking in the sight of the human's bared chest like a man starving. His answer was the opening _click_ of his own belt.

"If you want to show me," Alex answered, voice captivated as they locked eyes once more. Zeb looked into those warm, longing amber eyes for a long moment before seizing the plush lips below them in a frenzied kiss. Then he was shoving the jacket from his lover's strong shoulders and Alex was helping him to jerk the battlesuit down around his waist, ungloved fingers digging deliciously into his fur. Zeb groaned heavily as his hands roved the human's body, feeling the warm softness of his skin and the hard strength of the muscles beneath. He rubbed his face fervently against Alex's between kisses, working his scent into the skin and the hair. Even if Alex himself couldn't smell the heady blend of their two scents, Zeb could, and anybody else with a strong enough nose would be able to, as well. They would know who the human had been with – who he _belonged_ to.

Zeb came back into the moment with the eager sound of his lover's whimpers, hands working just as eagerly at his suit, trying to get it down further. The Lasat took a moment to kick away the last of the armor clinging to his legs. He then slowly lowered his battlesuit before the human's hungry gaze, showing off his quickly stiffening cock as the furred sheath slid back.

Once he was completely naked above Alex, he began to palm himself, pleased to show off every inch of his thick, deep purple prick as the sheath rolled back. He gave a low groan, feeling almost like he was touching himself for the first time as he watched Alex watch him pleasure himself. With the human's mesmerized gaze upon him, he subtly began to rock into his own grip. Alex's hands twitched briefly...as if he still wasn't certain he was _allowed_ to touch.

"Hngh...touch me," Zeb invited, already panting heavily. He saw Alex's pupils blow a little wider at his words, reaching out with a single hand before he could convince himself not to.

That hand joined with Zeb's upon his already straining cock, their two grips joining together as they found a rhythm over the heated flesh.

"Zeb, you- you're so _large_ ," his lover whispered reverently, his fingers finding their way to the underside of his cock, drawing a needy whimper from Zeb when they began to rub along the highly sensitive membrane that concealed his barb.

"You wanna take it?" Zeb asked, grinding a little harder into their combined grip.

"Oh, _stars_ yes," Alex moaned helplessly, his pale face flushing at the admission. "I- I want you in me... _oh,_ my Zeb..."

"Unh...just a bit more," Zeb encouraged, hips going faster, encouraging the tightening grip.

Seeming to understand how it worked, Alex went harder, clever fingers attacking his much more sensitive underside. Then, with one sudden, hard _squeeze_ of that hand, Zeb hit his peak, the little barb shooting free as he climaxed, his thick flow of seed bursting out and spilling over their hands.

Zeb let out a long, pleased cry as the orgasm moved through him, setting each nerve alight with sensation. By the time the first wave had had its way with him, it was a struggle not to just collapse on the human outright. To see how hopelessly stained with Lasat semen those ridiculous Imperial pants were was almost comical. Alex agreed with a little laugh.

"Well, there'll be no saving these."

"Good," Zeb growled, reaching down to rip the pants open. "I wanna wipe every last bit of the Empire off'a you."

"Then _do it_ ," Alex demanded, lifting his hips eagerly to allow Zeb to pull the last of his clothing the rest of the way off, bringing his hard, leaking cock out into the open. " _Ruin me,_ Captain Orrelios."

"Then- then you...you want me to-"

"Yes," his lover urged him. "Typically, I am a much more...dominant partner, but...you...I want to _feel_ you, Zeb. I want- every _bit_ of me to be yours. So _take me_ , my love."

Zeb offered up a low, breathy chuckle at these words, but his expression was all warmth as he ran his fingers through the spend still coating Alex and the bed. "As my captain commands."

Once he had a finger slick enough with his own seed, he pressed the large tip to the tight ring of the human's entrance, checking in with him before proceeding.

"You all right?"

"Yes," Alex insisted, open and inviting as he lay back on the bed, ready to take everything Zeb had to give him. "I'm ready. Come on."

Zeb didn't waste time, though he was still cautious in his initial penetration, slowly pushing the rounded tip of his finger into the humans tight ass. As he slowly worked his way into the human's body, being careful of his claw as he opened him up, he watched the play of emotion and sensation across his lover's face. He watched those tightly-controlled features go from pain and uncertainty to thrilling pleasure as he pushed into him, slowly, over and over again.

"Ungh...Zeb... _stars_ ," Alex cried out, beginning to grind down on him, meeting that slow rhythm with a faster one of his own. Watching his tightly-wound lover come so completely undone beneath him, Zeb found he couldn't help himself. With a tiny, stilted cry, he was coming again, spilling violently between them.

And if the bed hadn't been messy before, it certainly was now.

"You know," the ex-Imperial began weakly, still trembling when he managed to look back up at him, "I do believe you want me, Garazeb. If you can come just like that...without my even touching you-"

"And I can think of _another_ hole I can stick my cock in," he teased mildly as he withdrew his finger, leaving Alex stretched out and empty, his entrance puckering to be filled once more. "You ready?"

"Readier than I've ever been for anything in my _life_ ," the human insisted, lifting his hips, practically _begging_.

Not having latched to anything, Zeb's barb had retracted quickly after the first two climaxes, which now left him free to align himself with Alex's entrance. As he readied them both, Alex lifted his legs, wrapping them around Zeb's waist to allow him better access. Once they were both secure, he began to enter his lover's body.

Alex gasped at the feel of him, body slowly stretching to accommodate him as he was penetrated. Zeb growled as he sank slowly into the heat of him, loving even the tiniest flickers of sensation at the union of their two bodies. He wanted nothing so much as he wanted to be one with Alexsandr Kallus...the man he loved...that he had survived an almost certain suicide mission with.

"Unh... _Alex_ ," he exhaled on a tremulous sigh once he was fully sheathed inside of him.

"My Zeb...my love," Alex returned, briefly tightening around him.

" _Ni ashkerra,_ " he responded in Lasana as he began to move, thrusting slow and deep inside him relishing every cry he drew from his lover's lips. He kept this pace for several long, languid moments, loving everything about this moment in time. The galaxy around them was far from perfect, but this...right here, right now...this was paradise.

Then, quite suddenly, Alex was sobbing, crying out his name as Zeb brought him to climax. Zeb held him, continuing to work in him over and over again, helping him through the orgasm. He hadn't known the man could cling quite so tightly. And there, just when he'd thought he could wring no more ecstasy from the human's smaller frame, that was when he reached his own climax.

He snarled in pure bliss as he bit down on his partner's shoulder, hearing Alex _scream_ as his barb latched deep inside of him, the extra stimulation driving him senseless with pleasure. Zeb managed only a few more clumsy, erratic thrusts before collapsing, pinning Alex to the bed.

He couldn't say with any certainty how long it had been when he finally regained his senses, but it couldn't have been all that long, as he found he was still latched inside of Alex. When he finally managed to lift his head to look down at his lover, it was to see him smiling hazily up at him, utterly debauched.

"Are- are you all right?" Zeb asked him, drawing up a shaky hand to gently caress the side of his face. "I heard you scream-"

"Yes, from _pleasure_ , my darling," Alex reassured him, reaching up his own trembling fingers to bat at the Lasat's ears. "I've never...felt anything quite like that barb of yours. I think you've quite ruined me for any other lover."

"Good," Zeb growled softly, leaning into the touch of Alex's shaky but sure fingers against his sensitive ears. Kriff, but he loved this man.

"I'm- not certain I'll be walking for a day or so, but I can't imagine why I would need to. I would be just as content to stay right here with you for a week," Alex said, lifting his head to press a kiss to Zeb's ear.

"I like the sound of that," Zeb said, shivering pleasantly with the sensation of the quietly intimate kiss. "We could find out how many times I could get you to come in a day."

"Well, far be it from me to say no to a scientific experiment. I'm sure enquiring minds want to know."

"Yeah, well, those minds can kriff off. _This_ mind wants you all to itself," Zeb teased.

"I love you," Alex came out with, suddenly becoming serious again, drawing Zeb's attention. Then again, softer, "I love you."

"And I love you," Zeb returned with a little kiss to the former agent's neck. "Where's this comin' from all of a sudden?"

"I didn't- answer you before. And I was terrified you would die...down in that generator...without my ever getting a chance to tell you that," he explained, voice suddenly overcome with the strength of his emotion. "I love you. I love you. I _love you, Garazeb_...more than life itself."

"It's okay. It's okay," Zeb soothed him, drawing him into a gentle kiss, shifting so that he could just cradle him close against his chest. "I'm right here. I'm not goin' anywhere."

_Not like Ka-...not like those two fool-headed Jedi._

"I love you," he returned instead, holding and kissing him, feeling a few tears escape his eyes. "I love you- so much. _L'ashkerrir an...ni Alexsandr...ni sasha._ "

There truly was no telling what lay ahead of them. The Empire's retribution for their actions was like to be swift and terrible, but Zeb found he couldn't care in that moment. All he could care about was the man he held, cradled so tenderly in his arms. Whatever happened to them, he had loved Alexsandr Kallus, and that was enough for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Translations are pretty basic bitch this time around. Just this, really.
> 
> Ni ashkerra - My love
> 
> L'ashkerrir an...ni Alexsandr...ni sasha - I love you...my Alexsandr...my heart


End file.
